Finding Evil

By Mark Slade

It's every parent's worst nightmare. Your child is taken in front of you.

Except for Mary, it's happened before. She knows who's behind it.

Now she has to find them, before it's too late.

Finding Evil is an explosively dark and twisty thriller that will have you riveted and guessing right to the end.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark Slade
• Release date: Oct 31, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311900227

Mark Slade

Mark Slade is author of Yardbird and the Barry London novels. He has written audiodramas for Para-X Radio and Chronosphere Fiction and is one of the founding members of Screaming Eye Press.

Book preview

Finding Evil

by

Mark Slade

Smashwords Edition

* * * * *

Copyright 2013 Mark Slade

License Notes

Thank you for purchasing this ebook. It remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, or other ebook retailers.

Thank you for your support.

To Catherine,

Love you more.

Table of Contents

Kidnap

Search

Redemption

The Genesis of Finding Evil

About the Author

Kidnap

'Take a deep breath. Hold. Release.

'Mary. Are you feeling relaxed?'

'Yes.'

’Good. This will be different to our usual sessions. I want you to go back to Tuesday, the day on the beach. Is Josh with you?’

'Yes.'

'Then please begin. Tell me everything. Every last detail.'

****

We’re at the beach. We’ve not been in the water, I don’t like exposing Josh like that, but we’ve played on the sand. Now we’ve walked along the path to the park. I’m sat on a bench, enjoying the sun for once. Josh is playing on the slide next to me.

I’m looking at the sea, shielding my eyes, when I notice Josh’s model plane is on the path next to the bench. It’s his current favourite toy. I reach down and pick it up, look around for Josh.

He’s not on the slide. Other kids are there, but not Josh.

'Josh? Josh!'

I stand up, turn around, shout his name, check all the children, starting to panic. I can feel the fear rising inside me.

'JOSH! JOSH!'

'Mum?'

I spin around and Josh is standing there, blond hair askew as always, looking up at me, confused. I drop down to his level, wipe the tears from my eyes, try to calm down.

'What’s up?' he says. I give him a great big hug to show my love, close my eyes, regain some composure. Then I pull back, hold him by the shoulders, stare into his eyes.

'Don’t you ever run away like that again, do you hear me?' I say it more sternly that I intended to, but I can’t help it, I’m still shaken up.

'I wasn’t, I was only playing, I wanted to see the spinny roundabout thing.' He still looks confused, he doesn’t understand.

'You must stay in my sight, okay? It’s important. I mean it.'

'Okay.' He sighs, as though he’s the only eight year old with a mother who cares, cares more than he’ll ever know.

'Here, you dropped this.' I put a smile on my face, give him his plane back.

I stand up, take his hand, feel him grip mine.

'Come on, let’s go.'

We start walking down the path. Suddenly Josh breaks free of my hand, runs away from me. Instantly I’m scared again.

'Josh!'

He stops, turns around.

'Can we get an ice cream? Can we? Can we?'

He’s seen the ice-cream van up ahead. I’ve confused him enough already today, so perhaps a treat is a good idea.

'Oh alright then.'

'Yes!' Josh beams at me, the smile that fulfils my life, then he turns and runs towards the van.

'Wait for me!'

I head after him. There’s a jogger ahead, running towards us, he has to swerve to avoid Josh but just about manages it. But then the jogger reaches me, and he swerves again, but this time he swerves into me. His shoulder comes across, barges against me, and before I can get my balance back his hands are on me and I’m being driven backwards, back towards the edge of the path, and all I can see is my face reflected in his sunglasses as I start to fall, lose it altogether, heart bursting as I try to cry out but it’s too quick and I can feel my back hit the sand hard.

Before I can react the jogger lands on top of me, knocks the wind out of me. I try to roll but a hand appears holding something soft and presses it down over my face. I have to breathe and a rotten smell fills my lungs, I start to gag, to choke. And that’s it. That’s all I can remember.

****

'I, I don’t know if I can carry on.'

'Mary, it’s okay, the tears are a valid emotional response. Take a deep breath, hold, release. Focus on me, my voice.

'Now, what happened next?'

****

I wake up. I’m not sure where I am, but sense I’m lying down. My head feels groggy, and my back hurts, and I can’t see. I think something’s wrong with my eyes, but then I realise there’s something covering my face. I reach up, grab it, pull it away. It’s a hat.

The sunlight hurts my eyes. I shield them with my arm, wondering why there’s sand everywhere.

And then I remember.

Panic surges through me. I try to get up, stumble as nausea hits me, steady myself with my hand, crushing whatever it is I’m holding. I look down and see a floppy straw hat. Then I see the cardboard sign on the sand next to me: it says, 'DO NOT DISTURB!' in big black strokes.

But all that doesn’t really register. My brain and my heart are exploding. I scramble up the bank, only one thing in my head.

'JOSH! JOSH!' I’m screaming it out, desperately scanning the path, the park, the people still milling around, looking for his big blue eyes.